10 Greatest Hard Rock Guitarists Of The '80s

If you had said that the guitar player in Mr. Big was going to be one of the greatest guitarists ever, you would have probably been laughed out of the room. How was the guitar strummer guy from the campfire song “To Be With You” going to earn the respect of the serious guitar crowd? However, you should never judge a band by their one hit.

Digging a little deeper into the band’s discography, Mr. Big is made up of some of the greatest players in the world, with Gilbert being one of the greatest shredders in the business. Rather than just being a typical guitar god in the Yngwie Malmsteen mold, Gilbert is one of those few guitarists who can literally play anything, from a six minute fret exercise to shredding on an acoustic guitar. Beyond just his fast playing, Gilbert has also incorporated more unconventional playing tactics into his arsenal, even having solos complete with an electric power drill being scraped across the strings.

For as many accolades as he has gotten, Gilbert has also not forgotten where he comes from, being one of the few guitar players who is as much of a fan of music as he was when he was just starting out. The hair metal fads may be a running punchline now, but anyone fascinated with the guitar is selling themselves short if they exclude Paul Gilbert from their guitar gods list.